woman had leaned forward to right a cup, to quiet the children. She could not laugh for the impropriety of it but the brightness in her eyes did not escape even Blevins. He climbed over the bench and sat down again.
Are you all ready to go? he whispered.
We aint done eatin, said Rawlins.
He looked around uneasily. I caint set here, he said.
He was sitting with his head lowered and was whispering hoarsely.
Why caint you set there? said Rawlins.
I dont like to be laughed at.
Rawlins looked at the girls. They were sitting again and their eyes were wide and serious again. Hell, he said. It’s just kids.
I dont like to be laughed at, whispered Blevins.
Both the man and the woman were looking at them with concern.
If you dont like to be laughed at dont fall on your ass, said Rawlins.
You all excuse me, said Blevins.
He climbed out over the bench and picked up his hat and put it on and went out. The man of the house looked worried and he leaned to John Grady and made a whispered inquiry. The two girls sat looking down at their plates.
You think he’ll ride on? said Rawlins.
John Grady shrugged. I doubt it.
The householders seemed to be waiting for one of them to get up and go out after him but they did not. They drank their coffee and after a while the woman rose and cleared away the plates.
John Grady found him sitting on the ground like a figure in meditation.
What are you doin? he said.
Nothin.
Why dont you come back inside.
I’m all right.
They’ve offered us to spend the night.
Go ahead.
What do you aim to do?
I’m all right.
John Grady stood watching him. Well, he said. Suit yourself.
Blevins didnt answer and he left him sitting there.
The room they slept in was at the back of the house and it smelled of hay or straw. It was small and there was no window to it and on the floor were two pallets of straw and sacking with serapes over them. They took the lamp the host handed them and thanked him and he bowed out the low doorway and bid them goodnight. He didnt ask about Blevins.
John Grady set the lamp on the floor and they sat in the straw ticks and took off their boots.
I’m give out, said Rawlins.
I hear you.
What all did the old man say about work in this part of the country?
He says there’s some big ranches yon side of the Sierra del Carmen. About three hundred kilometers.
How far’s that?
Hundred and sixty, hundred and seventy miles.
You reckon he thinks we’re desperados?
I dont know. Pretty nice about it if he does.
I’d say so.
He made that country sound like the Big Rock Candy Mountains. Said there was lakes and runnin water and grass to the stirrups. I cant picture country like that down here from what I’ve seen so far, can you?
He’s probably just tryin to get us to move on.
Could be, said John Grady. He took off his hat and lay back and pulled the serape over him.
What the hell’s he goin to do, said Rawlins. Sleep out in the yard?
I reckon.
Maybe he’ll be gone in the mornin.
Maybe.
He closed his eyes. Don’t let that lamp burn out, he said. It’ll black the whole house.
I’ll blow it out here in a minute.
He lay listening. There was no sound anywhere. What are you doin? he said.
He opened his eyes. He looked over at Rawlins. Rawlins had his billfold spread out across the blanket.
What are you doin?
I want you to look at my goddamned driver’s license.
You wont need em down here.
There’s my poolhall card. Got it too.
Go to sleep.
Look at this shit. He shot Betty Ward right between the eyes.
What was she doin in there? I didnt know you liked her.
She give me that picture. That was her schooldays picture.
In the morning they ate a huge breakfast of eggs and beans and tortillas at the same table. No one went out to get Blevins and no one asked about him. The woman packed them a lunch in a cloth and they thanked her and shook hands with the man and walked out in the cool morning. Blevins’ horse was not in the corral.
You think we’re this
Are you all ready to go? he whispered.
We aint done eatin, said Rawlins.
He looked around uneasily. I caint set here, he said.
He was sitting with his head lowered and was whispering hoarsely.
Why caint you set there? said Rawlins.
I dont like to be laughed at.
Rawlins looked at the girls. They were sitting again and their eyes were wide and serious again. Hell, he said. It’s just kids.
I dont like to be laughed at, whispered Blevins.
Both the man and the woman were looking at them with concern.
If you dont like to be laughed at dont fall on your ass, said Rawlins.
You all excuse me, said Blevins.
He climbed out over the bench and picked up his hat and put it on and went out. The man of the house looked worried and he leaned to John Grady and made a whispered inquiry. The two girls sat looking down at their plates.
You think he’ll ride on? said Rawlins.
John Grady shrugged. I doubt it.
The householders seemed to be waiting for one of them to get up and go out after him but they did not. They drank their coffee and after a while the woman rose and cleared away the plates.
John Grady found him sitting on the ground like a figure in meditation.
What are you doin? he said.
Nothin.
Why dont you come back inside.
I’m all right.
They’ve offered us to spend the night.
Go ahead.
What do you aim to do?
I’m all right.
John Grady stood watching him. Well, he said. Suit yourself.
Blevins didnt answer and he left him sitting there.
The room they slept in was at the back of the house and it smelled of hay or straw. It was small and there was no window to it and on the floor were two pallets of straw and sacking with serapes over them. They took the lamp the host handed them and thanked him and he bowed out the low doorway and bid them goodnight. He didnt ask about Blevins.
John Grady set the lamp on the floor and they sat in the straw ticks and took off their boots.
I’m give out, said Rawlins.
I hear you.
What all did the old man say about work in this part of the country?
He says there’s some big ranches yon side of the Sierra del Carmen. About three hundred kilometers.
How far’s that?
Hundred and sixty, hundred and seventy miles.
You reckon he thinks we’re desperados?
I dont know. Pretty nice about it if he does.
I’d say so.
He made that country sound like the Big Rock Candy Mountains. Said there was lakes and runnin water and grass to the stirrups. I cant picture country like that down here from what I’ve seen so far, can you?
He’s probably just tryin to get us to move on.
Could be, said John Grady. He took off his hat and lay back and pulled the serape over him.
What the hell’s he goin to do, said Rawlins. Sleep out in the yard?
I reckon.
Maybe he’ll be gone in the mornin.
Maybe.
He closed his eyes. Don’t let that lamp burn out, he said. It’ll black the whole house.
I’ll blow it out here in a minute.
He lay listening. There was no sound anywhere. What are you doin? he said.
He opened his eyes. He looked over at Rawlins. Rawlins had his billfold spread out across the blanket.
What are you doin?
I want you to look at my goddamned driver’s license.
You wont need em down here.
There’s my poolhall card. Got it too.
Go to sleep.
Look at this shit. He shot Betty Ward right between the eyes.
What was she doin in there? I didnt know you liked her.
She give me that picture. That was her schooldays picture.
In the morning they ate a huge breakfast of eggs and beans and tortillas at the same table. No one went out to get Blevins and no one asked about him. The woman packed them a lunch in a cloth and they thanked her and shook hands with the man and walked out in the cool morning. Blevins’ horse was not in the corral.
You think we’re this
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